Schedule and 2003 Results
Regular Season Records: Dallas 60-22, Sacramento 59-23
Game 1 on Tuesday, 6 May: Sacramento wins at Dallas, 124-pts-113
Game 2 on Thursday, 8 May: Sacramento loses at Dallas, 132-pts-110
Game 3 on Saturday, 10 May: Dallas wins at Sacramento, 141-pts-137 (20T)
Game 4 on Sunday, 11 May: Dallas loses at Sacramento, 99-pts-83
Game 5 on Tuesday, 13 May: Sacramento loses at Dallas, 112-pts-93
Game 6 on Thursday, 15 May: Dallas loses at Sacramento, 115-pts-109
Game 7 on Saturday, 17 May: Sacramento loses at Dallas, 112-pts-99

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 7: The Dallas Mavericks hosted and defeated the Sacramento Kings 112-pts-99 to win best-of-7 series 899, 4-games-3. Dallas thus wins its second consecutive best-of-7 NBA playoff series in seven games. The win order for this series was LWWLWLW. Series 899 is the first since series 728 (in which the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Dallas Stars in a 1997 NHL Preliminary-round series) to follow this win order, and is the sixth NBA series (all Quarterfinals), the eighth NHL/NBA Quarterfinals series, and the 16th MLB, NBA, or NHL series (all rounds) to follow this win order.

After Game 6: The Sacramento Kings hosted and defeated the Dallas Mavericks 115-pts-109 to tie MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 899 at 3-games-all. When tied 3-games-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Dallas Mavericks own a 1-1 Game 7 record, while that for the Sacramento Kings is 0-1. In NBA best-of-7 playoff series from 1947 through the 2003 NBA Preliminary round, the Game 7 home team has a 69-15 (.821) record irrespective of win order and site order; in NBA Quarterfinals-round series, the Game 7 home team record is 32-5 (.865).

After Game 5: The Dallas Mavericks hosted and defeated the Sacramento Kings 112-pts-93 to take a 3-games-2 lead in best-of-7 series 899. Sacramento now trails a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2 for the first time; when leading 3-games-2, the Dallas Mavericks have a 2-0 series record and a 1-1 Game 6 record.

After Game 4: The Sacramento Kings hosted and defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 99-pts-83, thereby tying MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 899 at 2-games-all. When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Sacramento Kings have an 0-1 series record and a 1-0 Game 5 record, while the Dallas Mavericks have a 1-2 series record and a 1-2 Game 5 record.

After Game 3: With high-scoring best-of-7 series 899 moving to Sacramento for Games 3-4, the Dallas Mavericks visited and defeated the Sacramento Kings, 141-pts-137 in double overtime, to take a 2-games-1 series 899 lead. Sacramento led by 13 points after one quarter: In best-of-7 NBA playoff games from 1947 through 2002, when a team (home or road) led by 13 after one quarter, its game record was 33-9. The Dallas Mavericks are leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1 for the first time. The Sacramento Kings are trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1 also for the first time. With 278 total points on the board for Game 3, this game is the fourth-highest scoring best-of-7 NBA playoff game ever, and the highest scoring best-of-7 NBA playoff Game 3 ever (breaking the old mark of 276 set in best-of-7 series 244 by the Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia vs. the 76ers in their 1970 NBA Quarterfinals series).

After Game 2: The Dallas Mavericks hosted and defeated the Sacramento Kings 132-pts-110, thereby evening their MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 899 at 1-game-all. Dallas led 44-pts-40 after one quarter, tying an NBA best-of-7 game record for most combined points after one quarter (84, set in Game 6 of best-of-7 series 185 by the Philadelphia 76ers [43 pts] and the San Francisco Warriors [41 pts] in the 1967 NBA Finals). Dallas led 83-pts-61 at half-time: Those 144 combined points amounted to the third-highest half-time combined score in best-of-7 NBA playoffs history. Dallas alone had 83 pts at half-time, breaking the previous record for most points by one team at half-time in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series (82, set by the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of series 422 vs. the Denver Nuggets in a 1983 NBA Quarterfinals-round series). When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Dallas Mavericks have a series record of 1-1, and so do the Sacramento Kings.

After Game 1: The Sacramento Kings visited and defeated the Dallas Mavericks 124-pts-113 to take a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 899. When leading an NBA best-of-7 series 1-game-nil, the Sacramento Kings have a series record of 2-0; when trailing 1-game-nil, the Dallas Mavericks have a series record of 1-5.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2002-03 regular season, the Dallas Mavericks finished one game ahead of the Sacramento Kings. From 1947 through the 2003 NBA Preliminary round, when an NBA team led its best-of-7 playoff series opponent by one regular-season game, it has gone on to post a 12-11 (.522) best-of-7 series record in that series against that opponent. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 899 is the second best-of-7 meeting between the Sacramento Kings and the Dallas Mavericks; Sacramento has won the previous series between the two teams.